Star Trek Minimates Wave 4 - Admiral Kirk and Duty Uniform Scotty
Like a battle damaged USS Enterprise, Star Trek Minimates limped on, refusing to surrender to the inevitable. Wave 4 actually took the bold step of including non-TOS characters and variants. We kick off with a look at characters from the movie incarnation of the original series.
Packaging
It's the standard blister carded pack, the same as in previous waves of the 2" scaled Trek-Mates. This wave has the backing card in dark blue. Both figures are easily viewable within.
The rear of the packaging features a large photo of all the figures in the wave.
The Figures
Admiral Kirk
Iiiiiiiiiit's FAT SHATS! And about time too. The Star Trek line has been plagued with variations of Kirk and so far they've all been TOS era.
With this set we finally start moving forward. This is Kirk from the era of the Trek movies, one of the most popular of all Kirks and he's wearing what is possibly my favourite Starfleet uniform too.
This 'mate has a great face. Somehow DST have managed to nail Shatner's likeness every time. This time it's Tubby Kirk and it's still right. There's the hint of a double chin and those cheekbones aren't nearly so obvious anymore.
They've even given his 'hair' a more natural look. It's almost real! I have to say I do like the expression on this little guy's face. It's not the sardonic Kirk of the TOS era, if anything he's pissed off and looking for a superhuman to take it out on. Nice work DST fellas (and ladies).
The look of the uniform is achieved by use of an extended chest piece that almost covers the t-piece too. It represents the single breasted tunic very well and is satisfyingly chunky too.
Tampos are fairly minimal being restricted to the Starfleet emblem on the breast and and belt buckle. Kirk is an Admiral now and therefore his rank is displayed by the use of a white strip that goes over the right shoulder from the back to where the tunic fastens and a white collar on the undershirt that is worn beneath. Surprisingly the collar is there in its entirety and not just restricted to the front of the chest piece. Nice to see that the back of the figure is not neglected and that a fair amount of detail has been included here. Underneath the chest piece is a plain red chest block. No surprises there then.
There is one other area of detailing on the left wrist which I'm assuming is another symbol of rank. It's a white ring bordered by gold. It's an astonishingly crisp print considering the size and placement of it and only serves to enhance the overall look of the mate.
Other than that the 'mate has standard black legs and, like most Trek-mates it has very very shiny shoes. Must be something to do with the artificial gravity.
Admiral Kirk is accessorised with a movie era phaser pistol. For the scale it's very good, and even has a small amount of gold detailing on its top.
In conclusion: A worthy Kirk variation. I have to say I'm a fan of this one.
MMC Score - 8 out of 10
More pictures
Duty Uniform Scotty
What else can you follow Fat Shats with? Only a Fat Jimmy Doohan will do!!!
The hair on this 'mate is a tad on the voluminous side for me, but other than that it's another good likeness (well I think so anyway) though perhaps the moustache could have
been a bit larger and droopier. Still it looks like the character but it's not exactly eye-catching is it? It's a chubby old fella with a 'tache.
Nice to see that Starfleet has finally wised up to the fact that the engine room of a starship could be ever-so slightly dangerous. No doubt Health & Safety got on their case and insisted on a better class of PPE,
hence the rather cumbersome looking anti-radiation suit that Scotty is wearing. It's good though, very different to other Trek costumes and quite interesting to look at. The fact it's white means that it stands out on a crowded shelf.
There's all sorts of stuff going on with the chestpiece. The big collar is supposed to denote rank which in the engine room appeared to be black for officers and red for expendables. As with the Kirk 'mate the collar goes all the way around the neck hole. Even though only the front of it can be seen.
I've no idea what the circular patterns on the chest are for, but I like them. Under the chest piece is a plain white chest block. No surprises here then.
I must say that I do like the wear that's been added to this uniform - there are dark smudges all over the 'mate that really make it look like it's been up to its neck in grime all day. Some other detailing of note is the small Starfleet emblem on the upper left shoulder, and a particular favourite of mine, the radiation meter strip on the upper left leg. Add to that pockets on the right thigh and upper left arm and you're left with not only a very practical looking engineers uniform, but also a very well detailed Minimate.
Scotty has no accessories, though he does have a chunky pair of gauntlets that look well suited to dealing with dilithium crystals or deep fried chocolate product.
In Conclusion: Not a 'mate to set the world on fire. But well designed and put together.
MMC Score - 7 out of 10
More pictures
Review and pictures by Rad Kerrigan
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